Volvo (cars) Deliberate Safety Recall/Repair Delay

Dorset Diver

Dorset Diver

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Sorry, not MH related but most of us also have cars.

Some months back Volvo issued a safety recall covering many thousands of their cars. The recall is for a potential safety belt failure. In an accident the belt may break away from its lower mounting. I received the recall notice in October 20 and was not able to book my car in for the repair until 01 Dec 20; the dealer was just too busy. I have just received a call from the dealer to say that because of costs Volvo is rationing the supply of parts the dealer now has no supplies and my booking has been cancelled until some unknown time in the future. It would appear that Volvo consider cost more important than lives. If you have an affected Volvo please be careful.
 
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Very much doubt that it’s down to cost!! I would contact Volvo direct and get there take on it.Ask the dealer to put the reason for the delay in an email and see what response you receive!

Just my opinion I could be wrong.
DJT
 
DJT said:
Very much doubt that it’s down to cost!! I would contact Volvo direct and get there take on it.Ask the dealer to put the reason for the delay in an email and see what response you receive!

Just my opinion I could be wrong.
DJT
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And a letter agreeing that Volvo will pay out in the event of a death or injury.
 
Thanks for the heads up, my Volvo is booked in for the same safety recall on 02 Dec, nothing from the dealer to say booking cancelled........... yet!
 
Strange....... mine is booked in for two recall items (the other being the inlet manifold) on 11th December. The seat belt issue, as far as I know, has not resulted in any accidents/injury
 
DJT said:
Very much doubt that it’s down to cost!! I would contact Volvo direct and get there take on it.Ask the dealer to put the reason for the delay in an email and see what response you receive!

Just my opinion I could be wrong.
DJT
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Well,what do you think it’s down to?
 
We recently got a note from them saying there was a recall with something to do with the cooling system, basically "Stop if the engine starts to smell and we'll be in touch sometime in the future. :eek:
That'll be the third recall on this 16 plate diesel V40. :(
 
jockaneezer said:
We recently got a note from them saying there was a recall with something to do with the cooling system, basically "Stop if the engine starts to smell and we'll be in touch sometime in the future. :eek:
That'll be the third recall on this 16 plate diesel V40. :(
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I have the same vehicle and had the same letter, however just managed to book in hubby volvo for the seat belt recall thanks to this post reminding me:giggle:
 
DJT said:
Very much doubt that it’s down to cost!! I would contact Volvo direct and get there take on it.Ask the dealer to put the reason for the delay in an email and see what response you receive!

Just my opinion I could be wrong.
DJT
Click to expand...
As above, that sounds more like the dealer making an excuse and a poor one at that.
Call Volvo customer services and get them to sort it.

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Dorset Diver said:
It would appear that Volvo consider cost more important than lives. If you have an affected Volvo please be careful.
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On the contrary, they have issued various seat belt and airbag system recalls for extremely rare issues involving parts that are also present in many other makes of motor vehicles, and for which other manufacturers have not taken any action.

Does your seat belt clasp cable have any visible damage to the rubber sleeve? If not, it is very unlikely that you have an imminent problem.

There have been no known real-world failures of the component concerned, and Volvo are being proactive in fixing what is currently at worst a theoretical probability.

Is my car safe to use? What should I do if I am concerned regarding my seatbelt?
Please be assured that this issue is extremely rare: we have no reports of any related incidents, and the issue can only occur over time and with a specific set of circumstances.

Until your vehicle has been repaired, we recommend that the driver and passenger ensure that the seat belt fastening is in a vertical position, aligned with the backrest, so that it will not be bent over the seat cushion when entering the seat. This will reduce the risk of damage of the seat belt fastening.

An indicator of a potential issue is damage to the rubber sleeve in which the cable is housed. While we will work to have all affected cars corrected as soon as possible, if you are concerned, you can Broken Link Removed for a visual inspection.

For this condition to occur, a number of different factors would need to co-exist. This will only occur with repeated, regular bending of the cable over the seat when entering the car, over a number of years, and would also depend on the height positioning of the seat.

I want to speak to someone about this issue
We will be happy to talk through any concerns you have in relation to this issue. Please feel free to call our dedicated team on 01628 422522.
 
The Volvo XC90 was the least reliable car in a recent Which magazine survey with faults affecting 74% of owners cars .

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Deneb said:
On the contrary, they have issued various seat belt and airbag system recalls for extremely rare issues involving parts that are also present in many other makes of motor vehicles, and for which other manufacturers have not taken any action.

Does your seat belt clasp cable have any visible damage to the rubber sleeve? If not, it is very unlikely that you have an imminent problem.

There have been no known real-world failures of the component concerned, and Volvo are being proactive in fixing what is currently at worst a theoretical probability.

Is my car safe to use? What should I do if I am concerned regarding my seatbelt?
Please be assured that this issue is extremely rare: we have no reports of any related incidents, and the issue can only occur over time and with a specific set of circumstances.

Until your vehicle has been repaired, we recommend that the driver and passenger ensure that the seat belt fastening is in a vertical position, aligned with the backrest, so that it will not be bent over the seat cushion when entering the seat. This will reduce the risk of damage of the seat belt fastening.

An indicator of a potential issue is damage to the rubber sleeve in which the cable is housed. While we will work to have all affected cars corrected as soon as possible, if you are concerned, you can Broken Link Removed for a visual inspection.

For this condition to occur, a number of different factors would need to co-exist. This will only occur with repeated, regular bending of the cable over the seat when entering the car, over a number of years, and would also depend on the height positioning of the seat.

I want to speak to someone about this issue
We will be happy to talk through any concerns you have in relation to this issue. Please feel free to call our dedicated team on 01628 422522.
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The rubber sleeve on mine is badly rubbed and falling to pieces. The cable appears intact. I have spoken to the so called customer care team and was fobbed off with excuses about supplier delays. It was suggested that I ask my dealer to examine the fitting and say whether or not it was safe. They refused as they don't want the responsibility in case they get it wrong. I was a lifelong Volvo man. Not any more.
 
We have our XC60 booked in the recall issue on 18/12 called to reconfirm and no issues at the dealer in Tunbridge Wells.
 
Dorset Diver said:
The rubber sleeve on mine is badly rubbed and falling to pieces. The cable appears intact. I have spoken to the so called customer care team and was fobbed off with excuses about supplier delays. It was suggested that I ask my dealer to examine the fitting and say whether or not it was safe. They refused as they don't want the responsibility in case they get it wrong. I was a lifelong Volvo man. Not any more.
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The part concerned is manufactured by an independent supplier of seat belt and other safety system equipment. It is also fitted in many other makes of vehicle, but Volvo are the only manufacturer who have initiated a recall to replace it. They are reliant on the manufacturer of the part to supply replacements, and were not expecting stock to arrive before December, although it appears that some has started arriving earlier.

So the only criticism I would level at Volvo is that they have perhaps been too proactive in sending out recall letters too early.

I cannot imaging anyone being willing to give you a categorical assurance the the part is safe in the world of blame and claim that we live in, but if the cable exhibits no visible damage, the likelihood is that you don't have an issue. The "defect" rate is apparently in the region of 1 in every 170,000 cars, which only means that the part is visually not in the condition intended. There have been no in service failures and the risk of any danger to you is exponentially lower.

But you can of course switch to another make of car where the manufacturer has decided to ignore the remote possibility of an issue until it has resulted in demonstrable failures.
 
Trev45 said:
The Volvo XC90 was the least reliable car in a recent Which magazine survey with faults affecting 74% of owners cars .
Click to expand...

I'm led to believe that there has never been a death of a driver/occupant recorded to any accident involving the XC90, but if they're broken down that much, maybe that's why ? :unsure: :giggle:
 
Deneb said:
The part concerned is manufactured by an independent supplier of seat belt and other safety system equipment. It is also fitted in many other makes of vehicle, but Volvo are the only manufacturer who have initiated a recall to replace it. They are reliant on the manufacturer of the part to supply replacements, and were not expecting stock to arrive before December, although it appears that some has started arriving earlier.

So the only criticism I would level at Volvo is that they have perhaps been too proactive in sending out recall letters too early.

I cannot imaging anyone being willing to give you a categorical assurance the the part is safe in the world of blame and claim that we live in, but if the cable exhibits no visible damage, the likelihood is that you don't have an issue. The "defect" rate is apparently in the region of 1 in every 170,000 cars, which only means that the part is visually not in the condition intended. There have been no in service failures and the risk of any danger to you is exponentially lower.

But you can of course switch to another make of car where the manufacturer has decided to ignore the remote possibility of an issue until it has resulted in demonstrable failures.
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It was Volvo Customer Care that suggested I should ask the Dealer to inspect the part and provide the assurance. They also promised to contact me with more information. That was 24 hrs ago. I have heard nothing. Your defence of Volvo suggests to me that you have some vested interest. Would that be so?

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Dorset Diver said:
It was Volvo Customer Care that suggested I should ask the Dealer to inspect the part and provide the assurance. They also promised to contact me with more information. That was 24 hrs ago. I have heard nothing. Your defence of Volvo suggests to me that you have some vested interest. Would that be so?
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No, apart from owning one of their cars. I did used to have a direct line of access to most vehicle manufacturers in my work, and still have some lines of contact.

I'm not saying that Volvo are perfect, and my experience of their dealer network has been less than favourable to put it mildly, but as I do my own servicing and maintenance/repairs that has always been a minor concern in my buying decisions.

In this situation though, they have implemented a safety recall which other manufacturers using the same supplier are ignoring (and may "get away" with ignoring completely if the extremely remote risk of this specific possibility of failure never occurs). It isn't the first time that Volvo have been proactive with safety recalls in the area of occupant protection, which other manufacturers have assessed at a much lower priority.

You obviously feel that you have been left at risk of death or serious injury due to a failure on the part of Volvo to pay for parts required to "fix" your car, whereas the reality is that the replacement parts were never scheduled to start being available until next month, and with the number of cars possibly affected, could take longer than that to obtain for every vehicle.

They have in my opinion sent out the recall notices too early, which has left you with expectations that they have not been able to fulfil, but perhaps delays and interruptions to their supply chain due to some kind of worldwide pandemic might have affected their original estimate of when the rectification process could begin?

I agree that you seem to have been poorly informed and/or updated by your dealer, and possibly also Volvo UK head office (who are not "Volvo", but a separate company operating under an agreement with Volvo Car Corporation to act as its authorised importer and distributor for the UK market) but that is not unusual in my experience, nor is it vastly different from my experience of many main dealer franchises for other marques.

But if I bought a car solely on the reputation of its distributor or dealer network customer service, I'd probably never bother. I'm very happy with my Volvo though. It's the first one that I have owned, although I have driven plenty of previous and different models, and not been so enamoured with all of them.
 
Had our 2009 XC60 Seat Belt wear done months ago just after this Virus thing started , checked while we waited , 1 minute check buy Technician at Donalds , Ipswich all OK , took us another 3 minutes or so to wipe with Anti - Bacterial wipes !! Love the car , except Rear Axle had whine , repaired by Last Engineering near Ipswich for £1200 , Volvo Dealearship wanted nearly £5000 for parts + labour !!!!!
Being EX . Garage Owner I checked listed parts fitted and they replaced what Dealership would have done
 
A bit of an update.

Through various forums I have discovered that most dealers have been carrying out the work in a timely manner and without problems. I have also canvassed various Volvo dealers and I have been told that Volvo UK has instructed them not to hold the parts in stock but to get the customer to have the vehicle checked and only order the parts if they are needed. Needless to say this means the customer may have to make at least two trips to the dealer and may after the first visit be placed in the position of knowing he or she has a defective belt and therefore an unsafe car to drive, possibly illegally.
 
Another update.

My car is due to have an MOT this coming Monday, not at the Volvo dealer. However I rang the Volvo dealer to ask if there was a possibility that the seat belt issue could cause it to fail. They said they did not know but instantly and as if by magic they found a kit, asked me to take the car in and it has now been fitted.

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